Secrets to Achieving a Beautiful Bassoon Tone

In this video, I teach you how to change and improve your sound on the bassoon, including specific tips and strategies for making adjustments in your air usage and reeds to get the tone you want.
🔗 Download my bassoon fingering chart here: buildingabassoonist.ck.page/f...
🎶 Take a lesson with me, I'd love to help! buildingabassoonist.com/produ...
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00:00 Intro
01:23 What is Tone?
02:25 How to Find Your Ideal Tone
05:06 How to Change Your Tone
06:25 How to Improve Your Air Usage
13:10 How to Improve Your Reeds
16:18 Bonus Tips
🙎🏼‍♀️ About Natalie:
Dr. Natalie Law is an active bassoonist and educator based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As an orchestral musician, she has most recently performed with the the Lansing Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and West Michigan Symphony. Natalie is a founding member of the Lansing-based woodwind quintet, Pure Winds, which was recently named a finalist for The American Prize and released an album under the Orpheus Classical music label. She has toured the United States as a performing artist and clinician at numerous institutions and conferences such as the Midwest Clinic and the International Double Reed Society Conference. Natalie received her DMA from Michigan State University, where she also obtained her Master's degree in bassoon performance. She completed her Bachelor's degrees in both bassoon performance and music education at the University of Montana. Her primary teachers have included Michael Kroth, Dorian Antipa, Elizabeth Crawford, and Jennifer Cavanaugh.
Natalie is passionate about teaching bassoonists. Having grown up in a rural area without a bassoon teacher for hundreds of miles, she understands the need for high quality and accessible online resources. That's why she founded and created Building a Bassoonist: to help students feel confident, successful, and enjoy learning this unique instrument!
💌 Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email at [e-mail]

[@laurens4651]

This was extremely helpful! The idea that air has to be the first focus really clicked with me and I will remember then when playing. I tend to focus so much on the notes or rhythm. Thank you!

[@MackSuperb]

Another great video! Lots of good tips in this one. I especially liked what you had to say about being stressed about what you are playing.

[@etc.-1912]

This is a really helpful video! I started playing the bassoon a little after you started your channel, and your videos have been such a motivation and a help to me as I'm trying to learn the bassoon kind of by myself. Thank you for making these videos! I'd love for you to make a video talking about good beginner pieces to play or maybe a video talking about some of your favorite bassoon performer, performances, or pieces. I'd love to get a bit more emersed in the bassoon repertoire outside of just the Weisenborn Etudes, and I just don't know where to start. 😊😊

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

Love hearing this! Happy to help. Thanks for the ideas, those are good topics!

[@DwainRichardson]

I must confess that I haven’t been listening to many bassoon players on recordings lately, though I know about some of them and have heard some of them in live performance. Although I appreciate their playing and overall tone, I have never strived to sound like them, for a) many of these bassoon players have much more experience than I have and b) each player has such a unique style of playing; consequently, it’s hard for me to say that I want to sound like that player. With that said, I liked the tips Dr. Law pointed out with respect to breathing. I have realised that some of my notes aren’t as free and relaxed as they should be because I haven’t been breathing properly (or my breath intake has been too shallow). The “who” breath will definitely be on my practice list from this point forward. This was an excellent video! Thank you to Dr. Law for sharing her valuable tips. (-:

[@TimothyReeves]

not a bassoonist but a horn player but I like learning about other instruments especially wind instruments.

[@sam-jams6689]

I've just recently decided to make bassoon playing a part of who I am! I am grateful for your channel, I suspect I'll be watching it a lot :) I also wish bassoons were less expensive

[@trainliker100]

Yes. Music lessons can be costly. So make the most of them. And however much you are expected to practice before the next lesson, practice more than that. You WILL get out of it the work you put into it. And don't forget to have fun.

[@mikoikho]

Thank you for the hoooh analogy bc I’ve been trying to help my friend take in air correctly and I can’t figure out an easier way to explain it lol

[@wileyparker2429]

I can imitate bassoon on my accordions and a harmonium and synrhesizers.

[@hater_59]

Have you had a chance to try sylverstiens synthetic bassoon reeds? i’d love to see you do a video on them

[@rabatesebastien]

Hi from France. Could you tell me What is the music at the end of the video? Thank U

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

Nancy Galbraith’s sonata for bassoon/piano. One of my favorite solo pieces 🧡💛

[@GKWith_VikasBareth]

Mem please make a vidio on cormatik scale

[@GKWith_VikasBareth]

I am new lurner basson

[@majorfifthmusic]

A few months in and I still sound like a tin can 😂

[@Jwellsuhhuh]

using a store bought or handmade reed?

[@majorfifthmusic]

@@Jwellsuhhuh on either, actually! I have a really easy factory reed that I learned on, and two Herzbergs and two my teacher made and adjusted for me!

[@BuildingaBassoonist]

That’s very normal after only a few months! Keep working and you’ll get it eventually!